How Does a Video Go Viral?
By Rikeia Perteet
Every week, a new viral video seems to catch the world’s attention. One would think that these gems are found randomly across the internet and are spread like wildfire from word of mouth and keyboard, but is that really the case?
In an eye-opening article from NPR, Jacob Margolis reveals that Viral Videos are found by the equivalent of YouTube data miners (people like you and me who waste hours within the black hole of YouTube but end up doing this for a whole day and get paid for it) and are sent to companies like Jukin Media.
Jukin Media finds potential viral videos and buys a part of the rights from the owner of the video for a slice of the pie when Jukin Media makes the video go viral, whether it be on TV (through shows like Ridiculousness or Tosh.0) or commercial ads. The owner gets a piece of the royalty pie and so does Junkin Media, making it a relationship where everyone gets a share.
It’s interesting, seeing this process for what it is. I thought viral videos were still a bastion of untapped talent and shenanigans, but maybe not as much as I thought.